Asylum seekers are being forced to undertake five-hour round trips to compulsory Home Office meetings, in what has been branded an expansion of the hostile environment policy.
Ministers have been accused of showing a “complete lack of compassion” after it emerged that hundreds of people seeking sanctuary in Britain are having to take the trips that can cost up to three-quarters of their £37.75 weekly allowance.
Around 500 asylum seekers living in Stoke-on-Trent were informed in October that they would no longer be able to report at their local police station and would instead have to travel more than 40 miles way to Salford.
In a meeting organised by the Home Office after the Citizens Advice Bureau made a complaint, officials insisted that the journey was an hour and a half drive – but failed to acknowledge that none of the asylum seekers in Stoke drove or had a car.
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